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These tiny berries sprout at the end of the rose blooming season and are a common feature in our gardens and have been used for centuries in folk remedies.

Rosehip is a potent antioxidant and a great source of Vitamin C

Rosehip has commonly been used increase joint mobility and as a source of Vitamin C and is commonly in found in supplements. A potent antioxidant, and a fruit of the Rose plant, it has also been investigated for its role in treating Cold and Flu.

A total of 31 obese participants were trialled with the herb over a 6-week period followed by a 2-week ‘wash-out’ period.

The randomized, double-blind, cross-over study in which metabolic effects of daily intake of a rose hip powder drink over 6 weeks was compared with a control drink study. Every 2 weeks each of the participants would be measured for Body Weight, Blood Pressure, Blood Fat Levels and Glucose Tolerance (to see if they were potentially about to develop Diabetes).

LDL Cholesterol dropped by 6%

Blood Pressure dropped by 3.4%,

Total Cholesterol levels dropping almost 5%

~ TOTAL REDUCTION IN RISK OF CHD 17%

CHD = Chronic Heart Disease

‘Significant’ results were observed by the study coordinators at Lund University in Sweden.

It concluded a daily consumption of 40 g of rose hip powder for 6 weeks significantly reduced the cardiovascular risk in obese people through lowering of systolic blood pressure and plasma cholesterol levels.

The clinical implications are potentially enormous and further studies are required and may provide an attractive alternative to Statin medications, for those who can not tolerate or those who are at risk of developing diabetes.

As mentioned in the full article “It would be of interest to explore the potential additive and synergistic effects of rose hip in such portfolios. Follow-up studies of dietary treatment with rose hip should not only be performed in hyperlipidemic and hypertensive individuals in order to study its potency in lowering cholesterol and blood pressure in more detail, but also in diabetic individuals in order to further explore its possible antidiabetic effects.”